In what has become an increasingly shameful and highly partisan process, Republicans have chosen to go it alone and cut Democrats out of any tax reform discussions. They formulated a tax scheme that they admit will add $1.5 trillion to our deficit, putting Medicare and Medicaid at risk. And the plan hurts middle and low income working families while providing huge tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. […]

Under the Republican plan, a family of four would gain an extra $12,000 in standard deduction. They simultaneously lose more than $16,000 in personal exemptions. It would directly affect middle income families and [make] it more difficult to save for retirement. And they are planning to repeal the state and local tax deduction used by taxpayers in all 50 states. This allows you to write off property taxes, local income taxes, and sales taxes and ensures the federal government can’t double tax families on money they have already paid in taxes to the state.

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Congressman Richard Neal of Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional district.

(Congressman Richard Neal of Massachusetts, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. In this week’s address, Congressman Neal rejected the Ryan-McConnell tax cuts for the rich plan, and called for bipartisan tax reform that puts the middle class first.)

Both Democrats and Republicans agree that something must be done to simplify our tax system. Our current tax code is far too complex, riddled with unnecessary loopholes that allow some to avoid paying their fair share, and unfair to American businesses trying to compete in an increasingly globalized economy. While both Democrats and Republicans agree that tax reform is needed, we have very different views about what our tax system should look like.[…]

Under the Republican plan, tax revenues from individuals would RISE by over $2 trillion dollars, while revenue from corporations would DROP by over $6 trillion dollars – this means more of the tax burden will be shifted from big corporations to working families. […]

Democrats believe we can do better than a plan that provides 80 percent of the tax cuts to the top 1 percent and sticks our grandchildren with trillions in debt. That’s not a middle class plan and we’re ready to work with Republicans to build one that is.

Yesterday, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi held a press conference on the latest health care sabotage from the Republicans.

(Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi held a press conference today following President Trump’s decision on Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and his shameful decision to cut off the Cost-Sharing Reduction payments required under the Affordable Care Act, a spiteful decision that will cause health premiums to spike by at least 20 percent for hard-working Americans.)Nancy Pelosi

Last night, the President single-handedly decided to raise America’s health premiums for no reason other than spite and cruelty.

Cost-sharing reduction payments are essential to lowering health insurance costs. Because of President Trump’s decision to cut them off, these cost-sharing payments premiums will soar, according to the nonpartisan CBO headed by a Republican appointee, appointed by the Republicans in Congress. The CBO says that, ‘Premiums will soar. Refusing to make these vital payments spikes America’s health premiums by 20 percent in 2018.’

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.

(Congressman John Lewis has been leading the charge for change for decades. Now, he wants Congress to do the same by taking action to end gun violence.)

Rep. Lewis:

“What will it take for the Republican Congress to wake up? They hold moments of silence and vigils. They offer thoughts and prayers but they do nothing. And when the media moves on, they peddle the lie that we need more guns to stop violence and they try to roll back protections that keep our communities safe.”[…]

“Republicans have not lifted a finger. They have not done one single thing to combat this crisis and worse they are refusing to even begin a bipartisan process to address the gun violence epidemic.”

I share in the frustrations of Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who feel forgotten and neglected. I encourage Americans to volunteer and donate to legitimate organizations helping in relief efforts. Every dollar and every volunteer hour spent brings hope and relief to the people of Puerto Rico and all those impacted by these tragic hurricanes.

“Right now, 3.5 million Americans are without power, food, and clean drinking water in Puerto Rico. Right now, hospitals on the island are unable to serve patients because backup generators do not have fuel. The elderly do not have their medicine. Puerto Ricans are fleeing flooded towns and cities with polluted waters, some with dead bodies floating in them, and looking to mountain streams to find safe drinking water. This is a public health crisis and must be treated like one.

This past week, we learned that the Senate’s latest iteration of Trumpcare, ‘Graham-Cassidy’ they call it, would likely take health coverage away from approximately 32 million people – a staggering ten percent of the American public. […]

If Republicans in Congress are so desperate to take action on health care, Democrats would be more than happy to work with them on any proposal, provided it meets just one single condition: it has to make things better for the American people, not worse.

[T]he bill Mitch McConnell could hold a vote on next week – with no debate and only a sham hearing – will unquestionably cause untold suffering in every community in America.

President* Trump was onto something when he called the House bill ‘mean.’ But he stopped too soon. The Senate bill is monstrous. Cruel. Even deadly.

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin.

We are calling on the Republican leaders of the Senate and the House — Senator McConnell and Speaker Ryan — to bring the bipartisan DREAM Act to the floor. If they do, I’m confident that the DREAM Act will pass both chambers of Congress on a strong bipartisan vote and then it will be up to President Trump to sign the Dream Act and make it the law of the land. […]

The American people are calling out for this. Seventy-five percent of Americans—including 70 percent of Republicans—want the DREAMers to stay in this country they call home. […]
[To the DREAMERers]: You are not alone. I won’t stop fighting for you, and together, with my colleagues in Congress and our fellow Americans, we will ensure that you are here to stay.

I want to talk with you about 800,000 aspiring Americans who, after coming to this country at a young age, have done everything right. They stayed out of trouble, gone to school, paid their taxes, joined the military, started businesses and continued to patriotically love the United States – often the only country they have ever known.

These Americans are DREAMers. They are our neighbors, coworkers, classmates and our friends. […]

For five years, DACA has unlocked the great potential of 800,000 DREAMers. These young patriots made the most of their opportunity to pursue the American Dream, and in turn, they have provided tremendous social and economic gains for communities across this nation. […]

Can you imagine the fear, uncertainty and anxiety this is causing nearly a million young Americans as they wait for the end of a six-month deadline – at the end of which they face the very real threat of deportation?

This is the civil rights test of our time. Are we going to turn our backs on DREAMers? Are we going to allow President Trump to use them as pawns in his cruel efforts to divide America?

To DREAMers, I have this to say to you: ‘We see you. We know you. We believe in you. You represent the best of this country. Keep fighting. Democrats are right there with you, side by side, supporting each other the entire way.’

February 1943: A real life Rosie the Riveter. Women were called on to do the work; the call is alive again.

Even though the calendar tells us that summer doesn’t end for another 17 days, for most of us, Labor Day is a key line of demarcation. It’s getting dark earlier; the evenings (in most places) are cooler; and here in Michigan, the kids are headed back to school. For me, August was a month of scaled-back Resistance. My calls were less frequent, and since my freshman rep refuses to hold town halls, there were a few days of picketing his office…but very few sightings of him were reported. (After Charlottesville, and after intense, vocal outrage expressed on his Facebook page, he did give a clear, unequivocal denunciation of white supremacists, but then disappeared again.)

Now recess is ending, and there’s a full plate for Congress coming up. Our Resistance is more important than ever: between funding for Harvey-hit regions; raising the debt limit; funding the government for the upcoming fiscal year; ensuring the ACA is strengthened, not gutted; and defending DACA through legislation, our legislators have a full plate…and lots of opportunity for making mischief. We’re not going to get quiet now. With so much at stake, we can’t get quiet now.

The weekly Fighting Back post is also an Open News Thread. Feel free to share other news stories in the comments.

Found on the Internets …

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

“Hard work isn’t paying off the way it used to. . . . People earn less, people can’t save for retirement, and people feel less stable – all while working harder and producing more than ever before. . . . Democrats are fighting to make your hard work pay off once again. We have proposals to raise wages and benefits, to make it easier for workers to save for retirement, to give workers more power in the workplace, and to encourage companies to invest in their greatest asset – you, the American worker.” -Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

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